IB Local FINAL 7-10-15

I.B. Local News - July 10, 2015 - 1

July 10, 2015Vol. 2 No. 13 Highlighting our Community and Businesses for Imperial Beach & South Bay

Sun & Sea Festival Schedule Friday, July 17, 2015

9 am: Mayors Breakfast at Pier PlazaNoon: Dusk Exhibition Sandcastle on Display6 pm: Midnight Sandcastle Ball

Saturday, July 18, 20157 am - 9 am: Pancake Breakfast * Pier Plaza - $58 am: Parade Check-in at Imperial Beach Sports Park9 am -10 am: Parade travels west on Imperial Beach Blvd to Seacoast Dr. North to Old Palm Ave ending at Silver Strand Blvd.9 am - 2 pm: Master Sand Sculptures Constructed north of the pier.10 am - 5 pm: Farmers Market and International Food Fair open along Seacoast Dr.

Dempsey Holder Ctr. and Pier South10 am - 4 pm: Childrens Activities (Kids Zone in Dunes Park)Noon - 1:30 pm: Kids n Kastles Sand-Building Competition next to Dunes Park2 pm - 4 pm: Judging of Sandcastles4 pm - 5 pm: Sandcastle Awards Ceremony at Pier Plaza

2015 SUN & SEA FESTIVALTO BE HELD JULY 18 ON THE SANDAT IMPERIAL BEACH

Professional and kids sandcastle building highlights, free, family-friendly event

The Sun and Sea Festival will be held in Imperial Beach on Saturday July 18th and willfeature professional and amateur sand carving teams competing in one of San DiegoCountys most beloved traditions. The free, family-friendly event, includes a street festi-val, farmers market and international food fair, live music and entertainment. New thisyear is the Nathans Famous Hotdog Kidz Zone filled with kid-friendly fun and entertain-ment at Dunes Park. The public viewing of the sand castles is throughout the day until4:00 p.m. when the awards are presented.Major event sponsors:Port of San Diego, City of Imperial Beach, Cal Am Water and with more sponsors to benamed. Official parade sponsor North Island Credit Union. Media sponsor(s): KYXY 96.5with more sponsors to be named.

BIBBEYS GETS NEW MURALIly Alfred Adds New Sunset to Bibbeys Shell Shop

Bibbeys Shell Shop on Seacoast has always been known for its amazingmurals. People from all over the world come to Imperial Beach and take pic-tures of them. Now Bibbeys has a brand new one for the community toenjoy. Ily Alfred has been hard at work adding a spectacular sunset to thefront wall. She is part of the art group; the Art Kids of San Diego County(TAKOSDC) and they have been painting Bibbeys murals for over 6 years.

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY TO PAINT

IMPERIAL BEACH PURPLE FOR RELAY FOR LIFE

The American Cancer Society is seeking BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS toget involved in the Relay For Life movement by displaying purple ribbons and otherdecorations from Saturday July 11th through Saturday, July 25th.THEN on July 25, 2015 11am to 2:00 pm, at PIER PLAZA we will have a Paint theTown Party!THERE WILL BE FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD PLACE WINNERS FOR THE BESTRELAY SPIRIT DECORATED BUSINESSES on July 25th.JOIN US PLEASE and SHOW YOUR RELAY SUPPORT!Judging will take place the morning of July 25th.

IMPERIAL BEACH RESIDENTS CELEBRATE4TH OF JULY WITH A BANG(See Special Scrapbook Insert on Page 7)

Jeannette Shambaugh

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Members of several groups that raised money for the 4th of Julyfireworks receive a check for $9000 matching funds by Imperial

Beach Resort. Groups represented and receiving the checkinclude the Chamber of Commerce, B.I.D. and I Heart I.B.

Ed Kravitz

2 - I.B. Local News - July 10, 2015

SUMMER DAYCARE ST. JAMES LUTHERAN SCHOOL

Celebrating 36 Years! (Working with Young Children)

Our Excellent School Offers: * Low student/Teacher Ratio * Highly Academic * Part Time or Full Time for working Parents

Preschool, Pre-K, Transitional Kinder/ Kinder Classes (students must be toilet trained prior to enrollment)

St. James Lutheran School, 866 Imperial Beach Blvd., Imperial Beach, CA Phone # 619-423-8648 e-mail [email protected]

CallTODAY

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IB Local News is published by IB Local News Corpof 757 Emory St., P.O. Box 174

Imperial Beach, CA 91932www: IBLocalNews.org

Opinions expressed within are not necessarily the views or opinions of management.

Publisher / General Manager: Ed KravitzEditor / Office Manager: Stacey R. Long

Graphics: Priscilla Villalpando * Stacey R. LongSales: Priscilla Villalpando * Libby Bustos

Stacey R. Long * Ed KravitzPrinting: Advance Web Offset Printing

Distribution: Priscilla Villalpando * Richard Schmitz * Libby Bustos Writers / Contributors: Jeannette Shambaugh * Ed Kravitz Jordan Jacobo * Stacey Long * Priscilla Villalpando * Libby Bustos

Photographers: Jeannette Shambaugh * Ed Kravitzordan Jacobo * Libby Butos * Priscilla Villalpando

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MILITARYORGANIZATIONS

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Letters to theEditor

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PUBLISHERS NOTES.......

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Mayors BreakfastIB Pier

Swim & Paddle

Sun & SeaFestival

Farmers Market

With the 4th of July festivities in the rear view mir-ror, the community is looking ahead to the Sun andSea Festival and the many activities and events thatare a part of that celebration! The Mayors Swimand Paddle around the Pier event will likely makeNational News!As many of you know, we print our newspaper twicea month but, we also shadow the City Council meet-ing schedule so that we can print the Agenda theweekend prior to the meetings. Because City Coun-cil will be taking a three week break instead of thenormal two weeks; we will also be taking a 3 week

items as well. Meetings start at 6:00 P.M. Comeearly. Parking is limited. Remember if you dontexercise your rights; you loose them!The changing face of Seacoast Drive is showingitself more and more. Several new developmentprojects approved on Seacoast Drive highlight thechanges to height, density, parking and quality oflife. The die was cast by previous City Councilsthat professed they would be against height anddensity, when in fact they are the ones who changedthe zoning and approved the construction of thetypes of boutique hotels and mixed use units cur-rently going up on Old Palm Avenue and also onSeacoast Drive. Old Imperial Beach will soon beonly a memory as more upscale, taller and denserversions move onto Seacoast and Palm Avenues.Im not saying it couldnt be good but, it will neverbe quite the same either? It means a lot more peopleliving in a smaller area. Is Imperial Beach readyfor really fancy buildings? The Design ReviewBoard thinks so.So wheres all the free parking and toilets? TouristFriendly Beach Town? If you build it; They will come.A growing number of complaints about the de-signs for Palm, Rainbow and SR-75 continue tocome in to us. The merge lane westbound on PalmAvenue by the Rainbow Center seems to be the #1complaint we hear. Accidents and fatalities havealready occurred too frequently and the citys de-cision to paint a bike lane on Rainbow before re-moving the bulb-out and merge lanes at Rainbowand Old Palm needs to be challenged. Until this isdesigned correctly, there is no reason to throwany more money at it. Bike riders will be no saferwith the lines painted on Rainbow. How about fix-ing the problems on Old Palm and restoring thefull two traffic lanes westbound and eastbound;or merge further west than the Rainbow intersec-tion?The dog poop problem is still a problem eventhough most dog owners now take responsibility.When you see someone not picking up after theirdog; send us a photo. The citizens who care canmake a difference. Its just plain inconsiderate. Isay; clean up your act! Bring a bag and use it!

Dear Editor,Thank you for reporting the real stories going on in our town. Ihavent been here very long, but if we want the truth on currentissues, your paper is the one to read.

From what I read, the hardworking business owners are notbeing recognized due to the unfortunate issues with the localChamber of Commerce, but they still want donations for up-coming events.

Until they get their act together, and start rebuilding the trust ofthe community, closing the Chamber doors is the best thingthey can do to preserve the small shred of dignity they have left.

Right now, do you know who is handling your Chamber moneyand where it goes?

Mahalo, Lexi D.

Dear Editor,Who is doing the piece on the Pure Water? Is thatyou? This is very pertinent journalism, in my opin-ion. I have been trying to gain some traction on thisissue for some time now. As you know, I spoke atcity council a while back on the subject of gettingmore water meters installed in IB. I would espe-cially like to see some assurances that full meteringis in place before any new alley, street and side walkpaving work is done. I have asked for a completeaudit of the city to determine where houses, apart-ments and places of business exist without individualmeters. I know of one property where 28 units areon one meter.Personally I do not see how any citizen in the stateof California can be content without knowing ex-actly what his or her wet footprint is. This is myterm. Im officially coining it here. But really,shouldnt we all know how many gallons of waterwe consume? Every household and business, indeedevery entity with a connection to the water pipe grid,needs to be able to measure the water it uses. Itseems so obvious to me.Im a retired marine engineer. I have not only been

distributing water aboard ships all my professional life.I have been MAKING it! First through evaporationand distillation back in the 70s and 80s to reverse os-mosis nowadays. Thats why I love this idea to haveyoung people (and those of us young at heart) go tothe beach and make our own water. It would be greatif every participant could give you his water number(gallons used per day.) That way he or she could knowhow much they need to make every day to be waterneutral.I see a time real soon where people might even be ableto make their own water, from the excess energy theygenerate from their rooftop solar arrays. That prob-ably seems like pie-in-the-sky to most people. But folkson boats have been doing it for years. Im telling you,reverse osmosis, grey water systems, roof-top solar,household energy storage systems, as well as all man-ner of electric vehicles ARE changing the way we liveand consume. This change is inevitable, and will onlyincrease. Embrace it.I think you have a golden idea here about making IB atown of progressive water consciousness, and con-servation. Lets run with it!Cheers....Tom Summers.

break to stay in sync with the City Council meet-ings. Our next paper will print on July 31st. Wethank you for your readership and the supportyou give to our advertisers. We wish the orga-nizers of Sun and Sea Festival another success-ful event this year.We also want to give our support to the Paint theTown Purple Fundraiser for American CancerSociety and the Joggin for Frogmen 5K Sealevent Saturday, July 25th.Mar Vista Pool is still open but school goes backin session on the 27th.We do not have a Council Watchdog Report inthis issue because the July 1st meeting was can-celled. Council Watchdog will be back to reportin our next issue.

McDonalds is open again on Palm afer an exten-sive remodel and expansion. Ronald McDonaldwill make a personal appearance on Sunday, July12th at 2pm.Wed like to ask citizens to be vigilant about ob-serving the theft of our newspapers. If you ob-serve anyone tampering with our papers, pleasetake a picture or make a note of it! Freedom ofthe press is not always free!Take a moment or two and read your City CouncilAgenda and see if there is something in therethat interests you. Feel free to exercise your rightof free speech and fill out a speakers slip. Youget three minutes on whatever subject you wantto talk about or you can comment on agenda

Barrelshosts

Relay For LifeFundraiser @ 4pm

Sponsored byIB Cruisers

NOLFAirportPublic

Meeting

Paint the TownPurpleStarts

Jogginfor Frogmen

5K

Sandcastle Ball


1902 U.S. Geological Survey Map of Imperial Beach prior to modern development. The railroad was alreadyover 15 years old. The Coronado Belt Line was essential to the Navy development at North Island.

OVERLOOKED OPPORTUNITIES FORFUTURE SOUTHBAY TRANSIT

An Open Public Letter to the SANDAG Transportation Committee -By Ed KravitzAfter mulling over the plethora of documentation in yourplans, I was amazed that with all of your planners andvisionaries that you have overlooked one of the biggestfuture public transit options that could be accomplished!It could also cost less than virtually any other transit projectyou have embarked on. As a former student of Design; Irecall: The first rule of good design is to maximize use ofall the existing resources. We have resources in the SouthBay that are not only underutilized but, apparently trans-portation projects such as this one may have been side-tracked or discouraged from developing by political forceswith other favored projects. Perhaps its time to take an-other look at some research we have been involved inover the last 20 years regarding the potential utilization ofa right-of-way that is as historic as San Diego itself. Whileit needs a little fixing up, it is neither dead or legallyabandoned. Its just lying there in the weeds waiting to run.I am referring to the Coronado Belt Line Railroad Right-of-Way or the SDA&E Railway. The rail easement isowned by MTS and has not been used actively for freightin many years. I am the last shipper of record.There are development and political interests that feel thatthis railroad should just go away and will never serve theproperties they intend to develop. Little did they envisionthe scope of growth and increases in traffic as well asother infrastructure needs. There are many that claim thata moderate speed light rail or tourist train/tram cannotexist in the same right-of-way with another favoredproject; The Bayshore Bike Trail. While maybe the origi-nal purposes this rail line was built to serve no longerexist, there are plenty of future purposes it could serve;especially with some minor extensions and upgrades to afew trestles. Our project would probably be one of themost economical transportation projects ever undertakenin San Diego County because, much of the grading andinfrastructure still exists or could be upgraded economi-cally. The opportunity also exists to do this project withoutside money and not be entirely a burden on the taxpay-ers. There are also a multitude of grants available for suchprojects.I started working on this in 1995 after tripping over an1887 piece of Carnegie Rail in the weeds on the bayfront.The Imperial Express project that we did independently in1999 continues to be updated and revised to this day. Westarted our research with the 1996 SANDAG ExcursionTrain Study but, we were not satisfied with the assump-tions or conclusions that were made in 1996. Circum-stances have changed a lot since 1996 and we tried to

think outside the box and the scope of the 1996 Excur-sion Train Study. It started as The Imperial ExpressStudy and business plans have been presented by us foran ECO TROLLEY or the Bayshore Railway Proposal,Dinner Trains, Tourist Trains/trams, Static use of trainsfor Retail, Catering, Food and Beverage Service. Even aBed and Breakfast on old Pullman Cars has been pro-posed.The Late Walter Trook was one of my original railroadpartners. Although we had already done most of the stud-ies, he insisted that we go back and check everythingagain. As the publisher of a local Newspaper, he did notwant to be embarrassed with anything less than factual.Walter noted that the 1996 Study did nothing to helpImperial Beach with the tourist train only turning aroundin Imperial Beach and going back to National City. Whatwe looked for in our study was a way to get the moneyand the people off the train at the beach and SeacoastDrive. They could leave their cars wherever they catchthe Imperial Express for an afternoon or evening at thebeach and pier. What we found has apparently escapedthe planners and designers from SANDAG.The railroad is legally abandoned back up the Silver Strand.The original route went across where SR-75 now liesand through the middle of the Navy Base at Ft. Emory.The right-of-way from 7th Street back to the formermerger with the trolley Blue Line in National City is notlegally abandoned and is relatively in tact. (The excep-tions to intact will be dealt with in a separate document)With a very short and minor extension from 7th Street ina Southwesterly direction along the common survey linethat separates Coronado from Imperial Beach (formerlycalled Coronado Heights), the right of way could carrypassengers to within steps of the Pacific Ocean, Sea-coast Drive and the Pier. Re-adapting the railway as analternative way to make an outing of going to the beachwas our goal. We found out that many of the objectionsfrom the 1996 SANDAG Study were no longer prob-lems and that this extension could also mitigate futuretraffic congestion that will be caused by Navy Expan-sion at the former Radio Receiving Facility at Ft. Emory.In fact; our proposed route from our 1999 Imperial Ex-press Study goes directly in front of the South Gate GuardShack at Ft. Emory on Silver Strand Blvd in ImperialBeach. The NAVY EIS indicates over 4000 vehicles perday will enter and leave this base when developed. Mostcould ride light rail and leave their cars and motorcyclesat home. Anyplace along the Beltline Right-of-Way orMTS Trolley Right-of-way could become an instantPARK AND RIDE.It might have been someone from the Navy who broughtup (unofficially); how nice it would be to have a rail

connection up Silver Strand so that the Amphibious Basecould also have a commuter light rail link. Of course NorthIsland could be connected by shuttle to the AmphibiousBase. NOLF is just blocks from the Beltline at 13th Street.Perhaps Bike Trail Village also needs to be a Transit Trans-fer Station? The rail line could also connect the NavyBase at Harbor Drive as well.Without taking into consideration that there is no directrail line to the beach from Downtown San Diego; with-out taking into consideration future planned developmenton the Chula Vista Bayfront and the demands it will placeon transportation infrastructure that is already over-taxed;Without considering the multitude of venues from mari-nas, wildlife refuges and historic structures for tourism;just the Navy personnel whos vehicles could be takenoff the highways during peak commutes would be justi-fication alone. The Navy also has several already fundedprograms to help mitigate traffic and congestion. We wontdiscuss whether or not the Navy might ever want to moveany containers by rail in an emergency but, one has towonder if the Chinese can pull a train up next to theiraircraft carriers. A recent Congressional Hearing onCSPAN discussed the lack of rail infrastructure servingthe Navy expansion in San Diego.What we are proposing is self propelled MDU or DMUunits to avoid issues with the Fish and Wildlife Servicecomplaining about Predator Perches in the Refuge.Because most laws dealing with railroads favor the rail-roads and because the railroad existed before most of theregulatory agencies; any work that falls under normalmaintenance and renewal is exempt from environmentallaws. This could be helpful to the bike trail by gainingeasements called construction roads for later bike trailuse. I have in my possession a document from the Fishand Wildlife Service that states that they have no jurisdic-tion over the railroad right-of-way including portions thatpass through the various refuge boundaries. One of thetwo routes studied is in the footprint of the old rail lineand is immune from environmental permitting. The moredirect and preferable route involves a small environmen-tally sensitive area that would require mitigation. Mostlikely SANDAGs Transportation Mitigation Bank wouldcover this hurdle for the project to move ahead. Crossinga Navy Base will likely require CEQA & NEPA Studies;although most of the data is available due to the establish-ment of the South Bay Refuge and Navy Coastal CampusEIS documentation.The routes that we are proposing stay clear of the exist-ing over-crowded corridors. In fact; the Beltline triangu-lates two of them in an even more direct route. One thatwould allow more distance traveled in less time than in

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Located Next To: Scoreboard and The Gentlemens Chair Barber Shop

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electrical lights, power panelsswitches, landscape lighTing

Mc Donalds had a great Grand Opening ! The event began at 2p.m. Thursday with anarray of events. Special guest, Councilman Bobby Patton did the honorary ribboncutting with owner Rob Seder and Ronald McDonald. Radio Latina was also theresupporting this special event.Tickets were raffled to ONE DIRECTION concert,movies, 2 flat screen 42' tv's and it would not be complete without Ronald Mc Donaldguiding us thru and announcing the prize winners. It was a big event with cake, localsand our special guests. So come on in! The new McDonalds is open Bigger andBetter than ever. Don't forget Ronald McDonald will be there again on July 12th. By Libby Bustos


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Participants who make a $10 donation through thePaint the Town Purple campaign will receive purpledecorative bow to display. Purple is the signature colorof the American Cancer Society Relay For Life pro-gram, which represents all cancers.Ideas for Businesses to Paint the Town Purple in-clude putting up purple-themed displays in storefronts,swapping out white light bulbs for purple ones, or se-lecting a day for everyone to wear purple at work. BECREATIVE!!The Relay For Life program is a 24 hour communityevent, happening soon in Imperial Beach, Saturday -August 1st 9am through Sunday August 2nd, 9am.CURRENTLY SEEKING TO ADD TEAMS and SUR-VIVORS to Our Imperial Beach Relay for Life! Teamsand individuals set up campsites at MAR VISTA HIGHSCHOOL Football Field and take turns walking or run-ning around the track. Each team has at least one par-ticipant on the track at all times. Cancer never sleepsso neither do we is out Motto! Cancer survivors andcaregivers take a celebratory first lap to start the event.Four million people participated in more than 6,000events worldwide last year. The money raised sup-

ports groundbreaking cancer research, education and pre-vention programs, and critical services for people facingcancer. The Relay For Life of SAN DIEGO County move-ment, visit relayforlife.org or call 1-800-227-2345.

About the American Cancer SocietyThe American Cancer Society is a global grassroots forceof nearly three million volunteers saving lives and fightingfor every birthday threatened by every cancer in every com-munity. As the largest voluntary health organization, theSocietys efforts have contributed to a 22 percent declinein cancer death rates in the US during the past two de-cades, and a 50 percent drop in smoking rates. Thanks inpart to our progress nearly 14.5 million Americans whohave had cancer and countless more who have avoided itwill celebrate more birthdays this year. Were determinedto finish the fight against cancer. As the nations largestprivate, not-for-profit investor in cancer research, werefinding cures and ensuring people facing cancer have thehelp they need and continuing the fight for access to qual-ity health care, lifesaving screenings, clean air, and more.For more information, to get help, or to join the fight, visitcancer.org or call us anytime, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345.

(Relay for Life - Contd from Front Pg)Ily has been painting Bibbeys murals with her artgroup (TAKOSDC) since she was 9 years old andshe isnt finished yet. She is free hand, spray paint-ing the mural of a classic Imperial Beach sunset. Atjust 14 years old her artwork is popping up every-where in Imperial Beach. She is the winner of thelogo art contest for the Sun & Sea Festival held ear-lier in the year and she also took part in painting thenew murals at Cow A Bunga. She is an upcomingartist and we are lucky to have her artwork displayedin some of Imperial Beachs most iconic places. Nowwe can see her artwork at Bibbeys Shell Shop onSeacoast too. She is only 14 and has accomplishedso much, more than most adult artists. I cannot waitto see what she does next. - Jeannette Shambaugh

(Bibbeys- Contd from Front Pg)

Seashells


Volume 02 No. 13.5

S P E C I A L4TH OF JULYCELEBRATIONSS C R A P B O O K

2 0 1 5

4TH OF JULYCELEBRATIONS

KICK OFFSUMMER IN

IMPERIAL BEACH

IMPERIAL BEACH RESIDENTS CELEBRATE4TH OF JULY WITH A BANG

On Saturday the 4th of July Imperial Beach was the place to be. Residents along withmany San Diegans celebrated the 4th of July at the beach in a very big way. Withfireworks off the pier. Thanks to the Port of San Diego, City of Imperial Beach, IHeart IB, Chamber of Commerce, many local businesses and countless volunteers,Imperial Beach held a spectacular fireworks show off the pier. The 15th annual BigBay Boom provided spectacular fireworks to over 500,000 viewers around SanDiego from barges in the bay. For the 2nd year in a row, Imperial Beach residentsand crowds were able to view the show right off the Imperial Beach Pier. It was a 20minute firework show with patriotic music playing in sync on local radio stationsthat brought the crowds to tears. Residents along with record crowds enjoyed theshow from the beach. You could feel the booms in your heart with every firework,it was beautiful said local resident Leah S. The beach and all surrounding parkswere packed with beach goers by 12 noon. They enjoyed a beautiful day of waves,sun, barbeque, family and fun. The day started off with the traditional IB Spirit BikeParade, followed by a pancake breakfast. The Pyro Spectaculars crew worked onthe pier for two full days to put the fireworks show together for everyone to enjoy.I spoke with Thomas Sanders licensed pyrotechnic operator and he filled me in onwhat it takes to put on a show of this magnitude. Lots and lots of pre- planning; themost important safety and fire extinguishers. He also shared with me how unique itis to be doing all of this off the IB Pier. It was pretty amazing to see how much hardwork and wire goes into creating the 4th of July show. At 9 pm, right on schedule,the show began. It was magnificent, ending with a full 3 minute finale. This alwayshas been and will always be one of my most favorite days of the year in ImperialBeach. A very big THANK YOU to everyone involved in making this event happen. - Jeannette Shambaugh

Photo Credits: Jeannette Shambaugh, Emerald Pena,Donna Alsum, Nick West, Tommy Cozart


BIGGER THAN EXPECTED!It was a pilgrimage to the beach and pier that actually started the nightbefore; when grunion hunters pitched their tents in Dunes Park and onthe Beach; securing their choice spots for the 4th of July.The Spirit of Imperial Beach Bike Parade Saturday morning was thelargest its ever been and traffic and busses had to stop for almost half anhour while patriotic bike riders rode up and down Seacoast Drive.Lifeguard Captain Robert Stabinow reported stats for the 4th of Julyweekend:July 4th 60,000 beach/ocean attendance, 5 rescues, 11 medical aids, 66enforcement contactsOn Sunday, July 5th 25,000 beach/ocean attendance, 4 rescues, 1 medi-cal aids, 30 enforcement contacts took place in Imperial Beach.

With crowds estimated in excess of 60,000 at 9:00 P.M.; a great fire-works display was enjoyed by all. Sheriffs Department Spokespersontold us that there were probably another 30,000 people East of Seacoastto 9th St. where virtually every home had some sort of party going on.Leaving the event to go home proved to be quite another challenge formany. Many surface streets and alleys filled with parked cars that couldntmove. The alleys to the east of Seacoast Drive were also a gridlock forthe duration of the fireworks and ensuing grid lock. According to TheSan Diego Sheriffs Department, there were relatively few arrests con-sidering the size of the crowds! 3 persons were arrested for drunk inpublic and one for narcotics near the pier. Other than that, there wereactually fewer incidents than on a normal weekend at the beach! Therewere no reported crimes where someone had been victimized. Law en-forcement was taken by surprise however, when campers set up tentsFriday night. 28 additional Deputies made for a visible presence that mayhave been all it took to keep things peaceful and calm. Crowds policedthemselves and surprisingly; picked up the lions share of trash! Tons oftrash were removed from the beach and tidelands areas. The majority ofit was either in dumpsters or in plastic bags as many in the crowd po-liced their areas on the beach.TRAFFIC-GEDDON 2015 was a demonstration that Imperial Beach isanything but Tsunami Ready!Multiple DUI checkpoints were waiting for celebrants who had too muchto drink. Very few arrests were made for DUIs or Disorderly Conduct.These checkpoints on the way out of town did have significant impactson the smooth flow of exit traffic.In a surprise twist and unplanned for; Coronado shut down the bridgewhen pedestrians on the bridge trying to view fireworks became a prob-lem. Once the bridge was closed, all the traffic leaving Coronado had tocome down SR-75 through Imperial Beach at the same time that ourfireworks show ended. The mega traffic that resulted did not go un-noticed.What many locals ask; when are they going to put Old Palm Avenue backto 4 lanes? The same is true about Imperial Beach Blvd. If the trafficleaving the beach July 4th had been a real emergency evacuation; no-body would have survived! The Sun and Sea Festival coming up andpromises to be bigger this year and its almost here! Shuttles to the beachfrom remote parking areas should be given more consideration. Its toobad the guy at SANDAG that dreamed up and promoted Traffic Calmingand Lane Elimination, Pop Out Curbs and Crosswalks that choke trafficwas nowhere around to enjoy the results of his design folly.For those who moved to I.B. to live in a quiet residential neighborhoodby the beach; these events seem somewhat of an intrusion; as all avail-able street parking in front of residences was suddenly gone. Landscap-ing and sidewalks strewn with litter, broken glass, spent pyrotechnics.The celebration was kind of like Mardi Gras but, at the beach. Therewere some similarities to Woodstock as Well. Overall, it was a greatfestivity that exceeded anyones expectation!. The memories will last formuch longer than just that one day!Here is a little scrapbook you can remove from the paper to remind youof the greatest 4th of July event Imperial Beach has ever had. Thanks toall that worked to make it a success! Special thanks to those who do-nated money or matching funds to help pay the bill and City Officialswho were cooperative! -Ed Kravitz


2015spirit of i.b.BIKE PARADE

7TH ANNUAL SPIRIT OF IB BIKE PARADEThe 7th annual Spirit of IB Bike parade & breakfast was the biggest yet. Over 1,000residents came out to show their IB Spirit. There was a sea of red, white and blue bikeslining the streets at MVHS as residents gathered to begin the ride. Crafty volunteerswere present to help add red white and blue spirit to undecorated bikes. The convoy ofbikes was over a mile long, stopping traffic along Seacoast in both directions.The Spirit of IB Bike Parade started at MVHS, traveled west and then went up anddown Seacoast and ended at the home of Greg & Shannon Hughes for a pancakebreakfast.The first parade 7 years ago had only about 40 participants and was all by word ofmouth. IB no longer had a parade during sandcastle events so it just seemed like a bikeparade that anybody could be a part of would fill the gap and what better day but onIndependence day to celebrate. By 2011, word started to spread via social media andthe event has grown every year since. Each year as the parade & breakfast grows, sodoes the number of volunteers willing to help make it a successful event.The Hughes have been welcoming hundreds of people to their home for the pancakebreakfast that has followed the event for the last 5 years. Its hard to quantify howfantastic it feels to live among so many generous and enthusiastic people. We are sograteful for the role weve been able to play, said Shannon Hughes. After speakingwith many different organizers and volunteers, one thing was very clear, the event ismade possible by volunteers who manage traffic, help cook & serve food, loan tables,chairs and griddles and donations by the whole community. It will be bigger and evenbetter next year. It truly was a monumental occasion for all. - Jeannette Shambaugh


MAYORS INAUGURAL IMPERIAL BEACHPIER SWIM & PADDLE

Join Mayor Serge Dedina for the Inaugural Mayors Pier Swim & Paddle.Weather conditions permitting, participants will be swimming or paddlingaround the Imperial Beach Pier with the Mayor! Strong ocean swimmingor paddling experience is recommended to participate. Registration is atbit.ly/IBMayorSwimPaddle or the day of the event at the Dempsey HolderSafety Center (950 Ocean Lane, Imperial Beach, CA 91932) at 8:30amand participants will be required to sign waivers at the event.T-shirts are available for pre-sale at bit.ly/IBMayorSwimPaddleTShirt andat the event with proceeds benefiting the Imperial Beach Lifeguard Assn.

B.I.D. CHAIRPERSON TARGETSLOCAL SMALL BUSINESS

A couple of issues back we reported on the B.I.D.and the effort to purchase and place surfboardshaped bike racks within the Right-of-waywhere curbs are painted red.At the end of that story, we invited rebuttal ifwe had gotten any of the facts wrong. We alsosuggested that instead of B.I.D. ChairpersonLaPausky trying to publish her own newsletter,that LaPausky write a column in the local news-paper instead.She never wrote us a letter of rebuttal but, shedid post an op-ed piece in another newspaper.It then came to our attention that Ms. LaPauskytold the Executive Board of the Chamber thateverything I had written was Lies. When askedwhich parts of our story were lies, she re-sponded; All of it! We stand by our story.Then it came to our attention that Ms. LaPauskywas asking local businesses to boycott our

newspaper. She yelled at one local businessman;How dare you advertise in this piece of trash?How dare you even distribute this newspaper inyour business? Were finding out that he was notthe only business she tried to intimidate into re-moving our newspapers and refusing to advertise.Fortunately, most of our advertisers declined but,several were intimidated and some scared therewould be more trouble.When confronted and observed with a large stackof our newspapers at 6:00 am one morning on Sea-coast, she explained away the large stack of pa-pers by pretending to deliver them at doorsteps ofbusinesses on the 800 block of Seacoast Drive; ina manner inconsistent with our company policy.After consulting with legal council, a Cease, Desistand Demand letter was sent Certified Mail toLaPausky. The return receipt shows the letter wasdelivered however, LaPausky has not responded toany of the points made in the letter as of our publi-cation date for this issue.

My name is Krystopher Paldi. I am a bonemarrow transplant survivor. My BoneMarrow Transplant was on April 17th,2010, and I am 5 years into the transplant.I am doing great; I just wanted to saythank you for all the donations from theRed Boot Drive! The total amount ofmoney raised was $166,000 ! Without thedonations, it would not be possible for meand my family to do the things that I needto have done. I still go to Children's Hos-pital in San Diego, at least 2 times a month.It was daily for 4 years. I am so thankfulfor all of your hard work and the time ev-eryone puts into the Red Boot Drive!Thanks again for everything you do! - Love, Krystopher Paldi

FOLLOW UP ON THE RONALD MCDONALD RED BOOT DRIVE


FLIX BY THE SEA CANCELLEDThe Port of San Diego held their Imperial Beach installation of Flix By the Sea onFriday, June 26th at Portwood Pier Plaza. Over 100 residents along with MayorDedina and his family, gathered with friends and their favorite blankets to watch SoulSurfer at the beach. The festivities began at 6pm with a live DJ from 95.7 KISS FM,raffles and concessions. Unfortunately, at dusk, the wind picked up and residentswere very disappointed to find out that they would not be able to watch the movie. At9 pm, the event was cancelled and everyone went home. On the bright side, moviegoers did get to enjoy one of the most beautiful sunsets we have had this summer.The next Flix by the Sea event will be held on July 10th at Harbor Island Park andthey will be playing the movie Jaws. To see a full list of events and movies, pleasevisit: www.portofsandiego.org/recreation. There is no date set as of now to replay the movie. -Jeannette Shambaugh

The Bassics(modrock) hosted and per-formed (9 bands in-cluded) July 3rd atThe Boys and Girlsclub...Great Job bythe way fellas...way tohustle!These guys are on theirway to the next big gigand are planning a minitour in the Bayarea.where is top se-cret quotes Sam.Good luck boys! asalways...support yourlocal musicians. - Elaine Haggin

THE BASSICS HOST IMPERIAL BEACH EVENTThe Bassics(mod rock) in order by photo (Carl,Nick Sam and Vino)

Robert Headrick

IMPERIAL

BEACH

GIRLS

SOFTBALL

CHAMPIONS

HEADED

FOR

STATE

FINALS

Jeannette Shambaugh

Submitted Photo


LOCALARTIST WILL SIGN EVENT POSTERSFOR DONATIONS AT THE BOCARIO BOOTH AT

THE SUN & SEA FESTIVAL ON SATURDAYIly Alfred, this years winning artist, is a 14-year-old from Imperial BeachCharter Middle School. Her design was selected to represent this years Sun& Sea Festival and will be replicated on posters and t-shirts. Ily will be signingcollectors editions for the first 50 people who make a donation to the artist.Those interested can stop by the Boca Rio Booth at the Sun & Sea Festival onSaturday.This is the first time that I submitted my artwork to any contest, said Ily. Iam very excited, especially as I have grown up in Imperial Beach, and I wouldlike people to see what I am doing. The pencil and ink artwork is a circularimage of a female surfer catching a wave with sandcastles buildings along theshoreline in the distance. She liked this design because it is simple and cleanbut includes everything about the Sun & Sea Festival. I chose a circle as itattracts you to look to the center of the image; similar to the pupil in your eye.This years official t-shirts, banners and posters will be supplied by Boca Rio,a local printing company who specializes in non-profit clients, such as theBoys & Girls Club, the Taste of I.B. and the Fishing Derby. Boca Rio, whichmeans where the river meets the sea, has been in business since 1998, ac-cording to owner, Rick Alvarez. This girl has talent, and I am not just sayingthat, when you go under a wave you see another world and she captured thisfantasy place beautifully. Plus her artwork looks amazing on printed pieces.Everyone is going to want this image.

PERFORMANCE STAGE, PORTWOOD PIER PLAZA

7 am 9 am Pancake Breakfast

9 am 10 am Parade

10 am Welcoming Remarks

10:35- 11:30 Teagan Taylor Trio performance

11:35 11:40 Overview of the Judging Process/Awards

11:45 12:45 Subsurfer performance

1:15 2:15 Bayou Brothers Band performance

3 pm 4 pm theDeep Joint performance

4:10 4:40 Sandcastle Awards presentation

4:40 4:45 Closing Remarks

Nathans Famous Kids Zone Dunes Park Performance Schedule

11am South Bay YMCA Gymnastics presentation

12noon Fern Street Circus Performance

1-2pm Trevor Douglas (American Idol Season 12 Runner Up) perfor-mance

1pm Pan Am Tae Kwon Do with Master Kim presentations

2pm Optimist Club Kids and Kastles Awards presentation

3pm Fern Street Circus performance

4pm World Gym Eastlake Kids Academy presentation

Parade List for Sun & Sea Festival

SPAWAR Honor GuardBank & Parade SponsorCity CouncilGirl Scout troop 5447Cub Scout Pack 866Senator Hueso & familySBUSD Trustees &SupervisorsPort CommissionerSD County SupervisorSouth Bay CruisersSBUSD Education FoundationCYE PrincessesRestored FordIB BeautifulIB Womens ClubPotters House ChurchYMCAIB Little LeagueMarching BandMusic ClubIB Stroller StridesMVHS NJROTCSouth Bay AmbassadorsKiwanisRestored CamaroMiss Coastal Cities et al

Eastlake ChurchJR lifeguardsUnited Martial Arts CenterIB PreschoolIB Girls SoftballFern Street CircusMVHS 70s AlumniRock Star GymIB ChamberPacific RealtyK-PastaUnited Methodist ChurchAmber Jade Mobile Craft ClassIB YogaMilitaryCoronado NJROTCBeachside FroYoChurch at the BeachPan-Am Tae Kwon DoAYSO 712 soccerGirl ScoutsCarrington Real Estate SvcsSB Popwarner football & cheerBoys & Girls ClubFire Dept

Saturday, July 18, 2015: 9 a.m. 5 p.m.

Pancake Breakfast: 7 a.m.-11 a.m. hosted by volunteers from St. James Lutheran Church-$5donation. Annual Parade: Starts at 9 a.m. along Seacoast Drive. Kids n Kastles: Noon-1:30 p.m. sand castles to be built in the sand adjacent to Dunes Park. Master Sand Sculptures: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. sand castles to be built north of the pier.

Friday, July 17, 2015

The Mayors Community Breakfast to be held at 10:00 a.m. in Pier Plaza. Sandcastle Ball will be held 6:00 p.m. to midnight at the Imperial Beach Boys & Girls Club.Tickets cost $15 each and will be available for purchase online in April at ibsandcastleball.com.

For more information to volunteer, build sandcastles, enter the parade or to sponsor the event,please visit http://sunandseafestival.com/

(Sun & Sea - Contd from Front Pg)

the existing Palm Avenue and I-5 / Trolley Corridors. It would still be faster; even at slowerspeeds than the current surface transportation travels. The current bus and trolley servicefor Imperial Beach is substandard because, once residents get to the Palm Avenue TrolleyStation, there are usually no seats left on the Trolley anyway!If Santee can benefit from light rail; why cant Imperial Beach? We have a Beach ! We area tourist destination! We are woefully short on parking and traffic plans and several recentSANDAG funded traffic projects have even made some traffic issues worse than theywere! A proposed Palm Avenue Master Plan is throwing millions of dollars at a project thatis neither practical or wanted by locals. The Navy EIS Traffic Studies shows that this entirePalm Avenue Master Plan is an effort in futility and perhaps a danger to National Security inthe future. A small portion of that funding could make a workable light rail link that wouldcure Imperial Beachs economic, traffic and parking woes while increasing the value oflocal real estate. Imperial Beach would become a true commuters paradise. Current pro-posals for development in Chula Vista and on the Silver Strand will create virtual grid lockand there is no point in spending any more public money to make traffic lanes narrower orslow down thru-traffic speeds on SR-75.My interest in this railroad project is to see it come to fruition. Ive never been paid a dimefor 20 years of research. I have been involved in the tourist railroad industry for the last 14years and have two qualified and well known rail consultants already working with me onthese and other projects. We want an opportunity to make presentations of our ideas beforethe final decisions are made. No plan is perfect. Whats good about this one is that it isadaptable. Unfortunately some political interests fear this project or feel that it may beincompatible with their pet projects. I can assure you nothing could be further from the truth.Sometimes we cant see the forest for the trees. I am sending you a copy of a 1902Geological Survey Map. Perhaps its easier to envision without all the recent additions. Dr.Joseph Schwieterman Professor of Transportation Studies at De Paul University writeschapter after chapter in his books; When the Railroad Leaves Town; about the manymunicipalities that had to recover abandon rail right-of-ways for transit and the great ex-pense they had to go to. If only they had preserved them for future use. Volume 2 has a

(Southbay Transit - Contd from Pg 4)

Chapter on the Coronado Belt Line. TheBeltline History is not over yet. It still hasa role to play just as much as it did back atthe turn of the century. Its just a differ-ent role this time. While a bike trail maybe important, it shouldnt preclude use ofthe rail. Both can exist in the right-of-wayas we have attempted to demonstrate. Anyobjections saying otherwise are just plainfalse.There is no other transportation projectSANDAG could embark upon that wouldbring more benefit per dollar than the re-vitalization of the Coronado Belt Line andthe proposed Imperial Express Extensionto the Beach. We would like to rename it:The Bayshore Railway.There are many other purposes for restor-ing this rail line that will serve into the fu-ture for San Diego. I believe ProfessorJoe Schweiterman would accept your in-vitation to speak on the need to preserveand exploit historic railroad easements. Wewould also accept an invitation to make ameaningful presentation for objectiveevaluation and potential funding or licens-ing agreements.


NOLF Imperial Beach Airport Land UseCompatibility Plan Public Meeting

You are invited to a public meeting as part of the process ofestablishing an Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (ALUCP)for Naval Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach (NOLF IB).

An ALUCP is required by State law to establish compatibilitystandards for land uses in the vicinity of military airfields andpublic use airports. By law, the ALUCP for NOLF IB mustimplement the noise and safety compatibility standards of theAir Installation Compatible Use Zones (AICUZ) developed bythe U.S. Navy.

An ALUCP has no effect on existing land uses such as existingresidences, but establishes compatibility standards for any newlyproposed development within the vicinity of NOLF IB.

The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (SDCRAA)is the agency charged by State law to develop the ALUCP, andpublic outreach and input is an important and required part ofthe process.

Please join SDCRAA and NOLF IB staffto learn about the ALUCP process.

Date: Tuesday, July 21,2015

Time: 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Location: Tijuana Estuary Vistor Center 301 Caspian Way Imperial Beach, CA 91932

For more information, please visit www.san.org/nolfib.

P R O M O T EY O U R B U S I N E S S !

A D V E R T I S E I N

I B L O C A L N E W S( 6 1 9 ) 7 7 9 - 7 8 4 [email protected]


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IB Local FINAL 7-10-15

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Transcript of IB Local FINAL 7-10-15